Archive for the ‘stupid’ Category

If you have a weak stomach for cars getting destroyed, you might want to turn your heads away now. If you’re still here, then this is the kind of video that’s going to make you cringe. The subject of the video is a Ford Focus RS. It’s clearly seen better days, but it still looks in good enough shape to be salvaged. Unfortunately, it only takes a few seconds for the narrative to flip on this unsuspecting Focus RS as a junkyard crane uses its claws to crush it, pick it up, and drop it in a garbage container.

It’s unclear why the Focus RS had to suffer this horrible fate, but my best guess is that this particular example may have been a prototype or a test car of some kind. Regardless, seeing it get treated that way is jarring, especially considering how popular the Focus RS has become in its segment.

To make things worse, a Ford Focus ST Estate shows up towards the end of the video after getting slammed to the ground by a forklift. It had no license plates like the Focus RS that came before it, so you can probably make a guess on where it’s headed too. Either way, it’s a sad day to be a Ford Focus fan. As popular as the model has become, it apparently isn’t immune to getting treated like scrap metal.

There’s bad luck, and there’s really bad luck. A couple from Prince George’s County in Maryland found themselves on the short end of the stick when a thief stole all four tires from their Honda Accord not once, but twice. The first incident occurred on November 28 when surveillance footage showed a man getting out of his car and jacking the tires from the Accord before it leaving it on bricks. To prevent the incident from happening again, the husband of the owner of the car, identified as Anthony Greer, decided to install a Viper alarm system with a tilt sensor on the Accord. Turns out, the two safety devices weren’t enough to prevent the crime from happening again. Exactly a week later on December 5, the thief managed to steal the Accord’s new set of tires after breaking the wheel locks and leaving the car on the same type of bricks.

“Investigators have identified the Accord’s wheels as the targets of the two thefts”

There are times when you’re just at a loss for words. It’s depressing enough to have this kind of theft happen to you once, but to happen twice? That’s beyond bad luck; that’s on the level of being jinxed. I do admire the composure Greer showed when he was interviewed about the two thefts. Instead of being justifiably mad, Greer offered advice on the thief, calling on him to use his talents and intelligence “for good.” That said, I’m pretty sure that advice is going to fall on deaf ears.

It’s unclear how far along the Prince George’s County Police Department is on the investigation, but investigators have identified the Accord’s wheels as the targets of the two thefts. It’s common knowledge within the industry that there are certain wheels that have common bolt patterns. This feature makes them appealing to thieves because they can be flipped for a profit pretty quickly. It just so happens that the Honda Accord is very popular among thieves in the US.

Hopefully, the Greers don’t get to experience this feeling a third time. It’s never fun to be on the short end of a theft. It’s worse if it happens twice, but three times? That’s hard to get back from.

Imagine driving 50 miles to work and then finding out when you reach your destination that during your journey, an animal somehow got stuck in your car. A woman from Richmond, Virginia didn’t have to imagine such a situation because it actually happened to her when a bobcat — yes, a bobcat! — got stuck in the front grille of her Toyota Prius while she was traveling the 50-mile route to her workplace. Chalk this one incident up to the list of “improbable things that can happen to you on your morning commute.”

“As soon as it identified the animal and the perceived threats of its predatory instincts, rescuers from the RACC immediately sedated the cat before it manipulated the bumper to set it free”

The incident was first reported by local news outlet WTVR, and it’s a doozy. According to the report, the woman admitted to hitting something on her way to work, but since she was unaware of what it was, she opted to keep driving. Only until she reached her destination an hour later did she discover the poor yet ferocious feline wedged in the grille of her car.

The woman immediately contacted Richmond Animal Care & Control, who arrived on scene to lend some help. “We got on scene, and it really was true,” RACC officer Barbara Jones told the news outlet. “It’s really a bobcat stuck in the front of a Prius grille.” As soon as it identified the animal and the perceived threats of its predatory instincts, rescuers from the RACC immediately sedated the cat before it manipulated the bumper to set it free. Somehow, the bobcat escaped serious injury, suffering only a small cut on its back. It’s currently under the care and supervision of the RACC, which plans to return it back to the wild as soon as it’s healthy enough to go on its own.

The story has a happy ending for all parties concerned. That’s especially true for the bobcat, which miraculously escaped without any serious injuries after going through such an ordeal.

References

The “new” Mercedes-Benz in the 2000 remake of Gone in 60 Seconds may have been “impossible” to steal, but in the real world, any car can be stolen with the right kind of technology. Case in point: a pair of car thieves in England actually found a way to steal a Mercedes by using the German automaker’s keyless technology against it. Worse, it pulled off the crime in under 60 seconds. The irony is thick on this one.

CCTV cameras captured the entire scene as two men with relay boxes approach the unsuspecting Merc in a driveway in the English town of Solihull. Using the relay boxes, the thieves were able to detect and amplify the signal from the Mercedes’ remote fob. So even with the fob sitting comfortably inside the house, the amplified signal successfully tricked the car into thinking that the fob was right beside it. The technological trickery works as the car unlocks, allowing the thieves to simply get in, start it up, and drive away.

According to the Derby Telegraph, the stolen Mercedes has yet to be found, an alarming development considering that the crime reportedly happened in September.

In any case, police have said that this kind of tech crime is fast becoming a staple among car boosters, especially with the rise of signal boosters that have proven themselves capable of circumventing the auto industry’s keyless technology. As concerning as this is, there are ways to combat this type of thievery. One is to fight fire with fire and install a tracking system into your car. Another is to go retro and have a steering wheel lock on your car. The latter option isn’t aesthetically pleasing, but it could dissuade car thieves from jacking your car.

Either way, the irony of technology being used against technology isn’t lost on us. That’s the price we have to pay for relying more on computers these days. It may be convenient to do so on certain occasions, but there will always be shortcomings on things that are left out of our control.

Here’s to hoping that the owner of that stolen Mercedes gets his car back. It’s been two months since the theft occurred, so a good deal of faith and optimism is required to see this whole episode through.

A Georgia Police Officer got the chance to push her police-spec Dodge Charger to the limit this past weekend when a man in a McLaren 720S casually passed her doing north of 100 mph on a public highway. It didn’t take long for the officer to hit the blues and take chase. Nobody was injured in the chase that lasted just a couple of minutes, but the driver – a Dwayne Sherwood Pope – was charged with speeding, DUI less safe, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane, and – get this – driving with an expired tag.

All told, the dash cam video lasts nearly a half hour, but for the most part, the action is over with within a few minutes. The Dodge Charger which, in police-spec, has a top speed rating of 155 mph when powered by the 5.7-liter, HEMI, V-8.
There’s no word as to what engine this officer put her foot into, but it did keep up with that McLaren 720S quite well. We’re still not sure why he stopped, considering the 720 S is rated up to 212 mph, it could have quite easily gotten away. Something tells us that the man was telling the truth about pulling over when he noticed the lights – after all if he did intend to run, that cop car really didn’t stand a chance.

Fortunately, for him, and anyone else on the road, that wasn’t his intention otherwise things could have been a lot worse than a DUI charge, had he really pushed it to the limit. After all, he did have “three drinks.” Check out the video below and let us know what you think.

Aston Martin made it known that flipping a reservation slot for the Valkyrie hypercar will come with a lot of consequences. Now it’s Mercedes-AMG’s turn to shed light on its position after a reservations spot for the Project One hypercar has found its way into the market, specifically on German online marketplace Mobile. The price of the slot? A whopping $5.2 million, which would be more than double the $2.4 million price of the actual hypercar.

Given the exclusivity of the AMG Project One – production is limited to just 275 units – it’s easy to see why a slot for the yet-to-be-released hypercar is being put up for sale at that price, especially if someone’s willing to spend that much just to get the 1,500-horsepower walking piece of Formula One technology. Whether it’s right to flip or not is another question entirely though. A lot of people in the business, Aston Martin included, has drawn a perfectly clear line in the sand on where it stands on the issue. According to CEO Andy Palmer, anybody who even thinks about flipping his reservation spot for the Valkyrie in the name of financial gain would automatically lose their slot and be barred from buying future Astons of similar exclusive ilk. For its part, Mercedes-AMG has yet to comment on the Project One reservation slot being put up for sale, but since the dealership in question DI Automobile is located in Munich, Germany, it should only be a matter of time before the German automaker reaches out the dealer, or even updates its policy on the matter. As debatable as the act of car flipping is, a lot of automakers are beginning to take a stand on the practice, and it’s hard to imagine Mercedes-AMG sit on this issue and let it happen without at least making its voice heard.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Mercedes-AMG needs to make a stand on this, and it needs to do it fast

“$5.2 million is more than double the $2.4 million price of the actual hypercar”

I don’t want to sound like a hypocrite here and go nuclear on the owner of this Mercedes-AMG Project One reservation slot for trying to sell it for more than double the price that Mercedes-AMG is asking. For one, I’m on the fence when it comes to the practice of flipping. I understand all the negative connotations that are attached to it, but I also don’t know enough about a seller’s reason to make judgments on his intentions. This instance, though, is different because of all the circumstances behind it.

Here’s what I can tell you: even if I had that money, there’s no way that I’m spending $5.2 million on the Mercedes-AMG Project One. It’s just too much for a car that has yet to prove it’s worth the $2.4 million Mercedes-AMG is asking for it. I get that it comes infused with the most advanced Formula One-derived technology that a production car can have, but there are still too many unknown variables about it that spending more than $5 million for a build slot just doesn’t make any sense for me.

As far as the automaker’s position is concerned, I get it too that they’re being protective of the sanctity of the process behind securing a slot for a hypercar like the Project One, or in Aston Martin’s case, the Valkyrie. If something like this is allowed to pass, the whole process will be cheapened, possibly to the point wherein future products to come from the same automaker won’t have the same auto of exclusivity. Aston Martin’s taking the proactive approach here, and that’s well within its right to do so. Same thing with Porsche and Ferrari, both of whom have already taken steps to crack down on potential flipping of its exclusive sports cars. Ultimately, I fully expect Mercedes-AMG to do the same.

Whatever reasons flippers may have, one thing is clear, at least from an automaker’s point of view. Given the requirements that need to be passed to even be eligible for a build slot, it would be extremely unlikely of there being any other reason that these spots are being sold at a premium other than making a profit out of it. If it were something cheaper like toy collectibles or trading cards, I wouldn’t have an issue with the flipping.

But for a $2.4 million hypercar? Something’s amiss there, and the automaker – Mercedes-AMG in this case – needs to act on it to prevent it from happening.

In a perfect world, the very concept of a speed bump wouldn’t exist because all of us drivers are going to be well-behaved on the road. But we don’t live in a perfect world so speed bumps, as much of a hassle as they are, play important roles in keeping us in line when we’re behind the wheel of the car. Here’s the thing though. These small bumps on the roads are actually dangerous if you don’t accord them with the proper amount of respect. Ever wonder then how your car would fare if it drove over multiple speed bumps at speeds in the vicinity of 150 mph? Well, that much was shown to us by driving simulator BeamNG.drive, with the help of the DestructionNation YouTube channel, and the results aren’t pretty.

Granted, there’s no realistic scenario wherein a road will have in excess of 100 speed bumps altogether, but if you thought these bumps are nothing more than nuisances, then prepare to be shocked because driving through a number of them in succession at such a high speed can cause irreparable damage to your car to the point that some cars can literally get destroyed or worse, you can get killed because of it. There is a silver lining though, at least if you’re driving a high-riding vehicle with a soft suspension like a pick-up or a van. The simulator shows that these types of cars can survive the ordeal with nothing more than flat tires, cracked windshields, and damaged body panels. Any other car though and the results are nothing short of a massacre. Either the car gets completely destroyed, rolls over multiple times, or worse, all of the above with the matching bonus of you getting hurt or killed in the process.

See for yourself what kind of carnage this can bring to your car. Might be best if you watch it so you know what awaits anytime you want to dismiss the importance of these speed bumps.

If you haven’t heard of the GAZelle Next, then don’t feel too bad because I’ve never heard of it either. At least not until today when it was brought to my attention about a certain easter egg found on the Russian-made light commercial vehicle that allows you to play Tetris. Yes… Tetris.

Falling in the “to-see-is-to-believe” segment of TopSpeed is this video of a man demonstrating how to unlock the game in the most unlikely of places. The video is in Russian, so it’s hard to decipher the exact steps that were done to unearth the game. Good thing, then, that our friends from Motor1 managed to unlock it with the help of Google Translate. Apparently, the first thing that needs to be done is to turn the ignition on and start the vehicle. Once the engine is running, the next step involves pulling down the right turn signal three times and turning the high beam on two times. Then you push the clutch five times, rev the engine up to 3,000 rpm, and then rotate the left knob of the instrument cluster for a few seconds. Then it appears, small enough to be indistinct, yet still cool enough to actually play around with.

The demonstration continues as the right knob appears to have the ability to move the bricks horizontally while the left knob is used to drop them down. It’s unclear how exactly the bricks can be rotated, but we can make do without knowing that crucial information. The mere fact that Tetris cane played from a car’s instrument cluster is cool enough itself. Just make sure not to do it when you’re on the road. Oh, and try finding an actual GAZelle Next here in the U.S. You’ll probably have an easier time finding a needle in a haystack.

References

Whether you’ve got a nasty case of triskaidekaphobia, an unbridled passion for slasher movies or you’re just a little superstitious, seeing Friday the 13th pop up on your calendar can elicit a sense of dread and gloom. October is the second month of 2017 to see the 13th day fall on a Friday; the first having already passed us in January. But, the question is this – is there any truth to the bad-luck association? The Dutch Centre for Insurance Statistics would say no, given a study it released in 2008 that found the average rate of traffic accidents in the Netherlands actually fell on Friday the 13th, presumably because people drove more carefully or simply chose not to drive at all. Regardless, it got us thinking – what car stuff out there is considered unlucky?

After poking around a little bit, we found a couple of excellent examples from the world of motorsport, as well as a few statistics to consider before buying that used car you’ve been eyeing. And, we wanna know – what unlucky car stories do you have? Tell us all about it in the comments below!

Continue reading for some unlucky car stories.

Toyota Breaks At Le Mans… Again

Heading into this year’s iconic 24-hour race, it looked like Toyota would finally, mercifully, walk away with a win. 2017 saw the Japanese manufacturer looking stronger than ever, with a trio of cutting-edge TS050 hybrids on the grid, pole position secured, and even a lap record to boot. 10 hours into the race, Toyota was in the lead and looking to push ahead of the chasing Porsche.

Then – disaster. Following an extended safety car period, clutch issues struck the #7 Toyota, leaving it stuck in first gear. The car never even made it back to the pits. Almost immediately afterward, an LMP2 car collided with the second-place #9 Toyota. Meanwhile, the #8 Toyota was stuck towards the back, 30 laps down on the leaders following an extensive engine rebuild.

To make matters worse, the heartbreaking loss was an agonizing repeat of last year’s Le Mans race, wherein the leading #5 TS050 broke down on the front straight with just a single lap remaining.

Max Verstappen And The RB13 Formula 1

Our next bad-luck auto comes from the world of Formula 1. As we all know, the technology in play in this sport is finicky at best, and sometimes, that temperamental persona turns to misery for the drivers.

Max Verstappen knows this well. A string of DNF’s has left the Red Bull driver sitting on the sidelines for much of the 2017 season. Sometimes, he can’t even complete a double-digit number of laps before something breaks. Most of it boils down to mechanical issues, although occasionally, it’s a collision with another car. Or a bad pit stop. Or any other number of bad luck occurrences.

Thankfully, it looks like Max’s luck might be turning around, with a win at the Malaysian Grand Prix earlier this month, plus a third-place finish in China back in April. Hopefully, the worst of his luck is over.

What’s The Accident History?

We all know how important it is to look into a used car’s background before taking the plunge and handing over the check. However, not all accidents are reported, but thankfully, Wikilender managed to compile statistics on both reported and unreported accidents to compile a list of “10 Cars most likely to have been in an accident.” You can check out the full list here, but long story short, you may wanna be wary of scooping up a used BMW 4 Series or X1.

This might be the oddest tale of destruction to ever happen to a McLaren. A donkey caused a whopping $40,221 in damage to a McLaren 650S Spider after its owner parked beside the donkey’s enclosure. The German police report theorizes the orange 650S looked like a giant carrot to the donkey, who proceeded to eat part of the carbon fiber body near the bumper, scratching the orange paint in the process. The owner, Markus Zahn, says he returned to his McLaren and got inside before seeing the donkey in his rearview mirror.

Adding insult to injury, Zahn’s insurance company refused to fully cover the repair costs, sending Zahn an invoice for $7,052. Though he owned a $288,000 exotic supercar and likely could have easily paid the bill, Zahn decided to sue the donkey’s owner for the cost. Not surprisingly, the donkey’s owner, who named the barnyard animal Vitus, refused to pay the expense. Now a year later, a German court finally heard the case and ruled in favor of Zahn. That left the donkey’s owner with a repair bill of $7,052.

While it seems petty of Zahn to saddle the arguably innocent donkey’s owner with a bill he could easily pay, the real ass of this situation is the insurance company. Undoubtedly, Zahn pays big money to keep his prized McLaren and his fat bank account safe from harm, but when it came time to actually file a claim, the insurance company didn’t feel it was on the hook for the full repair bill, despite Zahn having full coverage. I’m sure the insurance company would complain if Zahn flippantly decided he didn’t want to pay the full amount of his monthly premiums. Regardless of the $40,221 repair cost, the insurance company should have paid up. That’s what insurance is for. Its double standards corporations often hold that makes the public so distrusting.

What would you do in this situation? Let us know in the comments below.

With all of the seriousness and hate in the world – nations banning the ICE, Neo-Nazi’s raging across America, Audi not knowing how to name its cars, and Donald Trump being in office – we thought it might be fun to throw together some fun Memes for the weekend. As such, we’ve compiled a few of our favorites along with some commentary. Do you have a favorite car meme? Let us know what you think of these and post yours in the comments section below. If we like it, we’ll include it in next week’s meme compilation. Click “read more” to see our favorites from this week — there’s surly something for everyone 😉

With all of the hate on the ICE going on these days, let’s state this outright and make fun of those hybrid and electric cars. If you don’t find this funny, you’re probably from California…or New York.

It’s really more like the look you give after some kid thinks his Toyota with a spoiler is fast and you show him what real power is. Plus, who doesn’t like a good Kermit meme?

Ahhh the hypocrisy of America. Gotta love it.

Ummm… if you’re going to speed, you better be able to drift too. Slowing down isn’t an answer here.

OK, Subies are pretty reliable, but when they break, they break.

Also when your homies don’t judge because you accidentally knocked up that barista at Cars & Coffee meet last year

The new Chargers may not be quite as good looking, but at least they have heritage, right?

Murrica… Need I say more?

Yup… so much fun. As a hint, if you have a fat girlfriend, opt for the airbags instead of the coilovers. It’s much easier than having to adjust one side each manually each time you go to get her.

Sorry, bro…. you’re really not that important

Well, you might not get laid, but I bet you’ll have hella fun playing Forza 7

I’ve seen my fair share of traffic violations over the many years of driving. Some of these violations are warranted, some are even necessary. But like everything else, there are violations that border on the ridiculous. One such incident recently occurred north of the border in Alberta, Canada.

Let’s set the scene, thanks to the story reported by CTV News in Canada. A man named Mathieu Gagne tells CTV that he made a legal pass on a slow-moving police officer north of Edmonton. The officer, apparently ticked off that he got overtaken even if the move was legal, decided to exercise his authority on the driver, citing him for going 1 kph over the posted speed limit. One kilometer per hour! Fortunately, the Gagne’s girlfriend was with him during the incident and promptly posted the ticket online where, somewhat predictably, it turned viral. You can likely guess what happened next. The Sturgeon County called Gagne a few days later to tell him that the fine rescinded, although it did say that it wasn’t because the officer was being petty, but because he listed the speed on the ticket as being radar/laser verified when in fact it wasn’t. And if the story couldn’t get any stranger, CTV also reported that the erring officer has yet to be disciplined for his actions. Seems like one of those stories where it’s unclear what kind of ending should have happened here. It’s definitely strange times we’re living in right now when Canada, home to some of the nicest people we know, has its own share of rogue police officers.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Be respectful, but also be vigilant

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that phrase in my life. It doesn’t paint a good picture of law enforcement officials, but there is some truth and wisdom to it, too. The truth is that a majority of police officers, no matter where they are in this world, are good and decent people. They care about enforcing law and order so civilians like us can go about our lives peacefully.

“The officer decided to exercise his authority on the driver, citing him for going 1 kph over the posted speed limit.”

That said, there are also police officers who go past the line of their job descriptions, some more than others. We see it here in the U.S. and we definitely see it in other countries. When dealing with these types of officers, there’s only so much we can do to call them out on their practices without having to worry about getting the proverbial short end of the stick. The best way to go about it is to be respectful of their position as officers, but also remain vigilant on the kind of actions they exhibit when you’re dealing with them.

“Gagne was let off the hook over a violation that he didn’t commit”

There are avenues to do this without having to fear for your safety. As long as it’s done properly, the Internet is a good place to go to air your grievances, just like what Matthieu Gagne’s girlfriend did. Her post got a lot of attention and eventually, it found its way to the proper authorities who have the power to make decisions on the matter. Ultimately, Gagne was let off the hook over a violation that he didn’t commit, though it is a little concerning that the officer didn’t face any sanctions for his actions. Sure, he may have been reprimanded; the Sturgeon County didn’t just want to publicize it because of potential backlash. Who knows at this point.

The important thing to know though is how to best handle situations like this. I’m sure that a lot of us have been in this kind of predicament before. But instead of letting your emotions dictate your actions, it’s always best to keep a level head and be vigilant enough to report these incidences to the proper channels. Traffic court is the proper place to argue against a ticket, anyway.

Running from the cops isn’t a smart move, regardless of the circumstances, but as a Florida man found out, it’s best done with a full tank of gasoline. According to the Seminole County Sherriff’s Office, the suspect “bolted” from a state probation office, which prompted a high-speed pursuit through residential streets and over a busy section of I-4 in Lake Mary. The suspect is seen driving a 2014 – 2015 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible V-6 painted in bright yellow with black racing stripes. While the 323-horsepower Chevy isn’t a terrible choice for a get-away car, its near-florescent color made it easy for the Sherriff’s helicopter to track. Dumber still, the suspect apparently ran low on fuel, so he casually pulled into a gas station for a fill-up. Little did he know, the boys in blue were closing in.

As the aerial video shows, police conveniently barricaded the Camaro at the gas pump, preventing his vehicular escape. The suspect was able to run for a short distance, but was quickly tackled and taken into custody.

There is no telling how this high-speed pursuit would have ended had the Camaro’s fuel tank not been dry. Likely results include spike strips, the PIT maneuver, or the suspect losing control and crashing. Thankfully, no one appears to have been injured in the incident. And though the suspect was likely on probation, it’s safe to say a judge won’t allow this Florida man to see freedom for quite some time due to his foolish fleeing.

As excited as it was to hear rumors that Nissan was bringing thesuccessor to the 370Z sports car at the Tokyo Motor Show, it appears that the hype has fizzled out even before it had a chance to be worth anything. The latest word coming from former Nissan Australia Managing Director, Richard Emery, who has come out saying there are unlikely to be any plans for a new Z concept anytime soon.

Speaking with Motoring, Emery said that there are no plans to introduce a replacement study for the 370Z. His comments also came a few days after the automaker unveiled the 2018 370Z in Europe, packing some aesthetic improvements in the exterior and interior. Considering these recent developments on the front of Nissan’s Z sports car family, it does look like all those talks of a successor were premature. It doesn’t mean that they were unwarranted, though. The fact remains that the 370Z is eight years old and (should be) at the end of its lifecycle. It’s certainly possible that Nissan is giving the sports car one final facelift before officially launching the successor. Whether that’s a couple of years from now or not, it’s going to be a while.

A wedding is supposed to be one of the happiest days in a person’s life. It’s especially important for the bride and groom, though I can argue that guests can have their own version of fun at these events. Unfortunately, things can still go awry, as one person will attest after crashing a rented McLaren 650S into a tree in what could very well be one of the most ill-timed and expensive attempts at showing off.

Specific details on what happened are still unclear, but the end result is as crystal as they come. The rented McLaren 650S incurred significant damage because the driver thought it was a good idea to mess around with the supercar’s launch control figure. I’m not sure if the driver didn’t know the purpose of launch control or he just made a mistake in engaging it; it doesn’t matter now either way. The point is that because of his tomfoolery, the 650S’ front end is barely recognizable after smooching with the tree. The hood looks like a crumpled piece of paper and both air bags actually deployed. All of that means that the 650S probably launched close to where the tree was and the suddenness of the car’s acceleration startled the driver, leaving him with precious little time to correct his error to at least avoid hitting the tree.

I don’t know who’s going to have to foot the bill for the supercar’s repairs, but I can tell you that given its state, I wouldn’t be surprised if the cost of repairs goes up to six figures. Lesson learned, folks. There’s no harm in renting a McLaren 650S for a wedding and then proudly show it off to all the other guests. Just make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. And don’t forget to purchase the best insurance policy at the rental counter.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, also known as FCA, has issued a statement in response to a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environmental and Natural Resources Division over alleged diesel vehicle emissions cheating. The suit claims FCA pursued “a deliberate scheme to install defeat devices to cheat U.S. emissions tests,” similar to the dieselgate scandal that’s plagued the Volkswagen Group since 2015. In response, FCA is offering up a software fix that will hopefully quell the problem without affecting individual vehicle fuel economy.

In the recent statement, FCA says it has collaborated with the EPA and California Air Resources Board (CARB) for the past several months to rectify the issue, testing diesel emissions for 2014 through 2016 model years of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500. Back in January, the EPA and CARB accused FCA of diesel cheating via “defeat devices” that alter engine programming during emissions tests, providing cleaner results than those returned during normal operation. It’s estimated that roughly 100,000 vehicles are affected. The suit has already dinged FCA’s stock price, which hovers at 10.57 as of this writing.

I feel sorry for all of you responsible Mustang owners out there; I really do. Some of you actually know how to drive a rear-wheel-drive Ford, but the very car you love has been forever tainted by the absurd number of idiots that keep crashing the damn things. Year after year, Mustangs die at the hands of drivers with no skill and even less intelligence, usually after a Cars & Coffee meet, but this most recent crash really takes the cake. Not because of when or where it happened, but because of the excuse the 24-year-old driver of the black Mustang you see above came up with. What was that excuse? Well, he supposedly swerved to avoid a squirrel, resulting in a pretty dramatic crash that tore up not only the Mustang but the minivan that he hit as well.

The accident happened on April 15, just before noon in West Shore, Pennsylvania near the 1,000 block of West Foxcroft Drive and Wormleysburg Borough. According to the small report released by the West Shore Regional Police Department, witnesses claimed the driver was traveling at high speed prior to the crash, which is easily noticeable given the damage to both vehicles involved. Apparently, nobody was hurt, and the van that was struck was unoccupied at the time of the crash. The driver was cited for “Driving Vehicle at Safe Speed” which is likely a typo in the report, and was likely written up as “Driving at an Unsafe Speed.” For now, the offending squirrel remains at large and is likely hunting his next victim at this very moment.

Update: Exclusive interview with Cranky the Squirrel shines some light on last weekend’s big Mustang accident. Keep reading to hear his side of the story.

With fully-autonomous cars on the horizon, automakers and regulatory boards everywhere are pushing the envelope as hard as possible. We keep hearing about how great, safe, and time-saving a world full of autonomous vehicles will be, but do you honestly hear anyone you know saying something like “I can’t wait for self-driving cars” or “I’m so ready to give put my life in the hands of some complex computer algorithms?” No, you probably don’t, and some studies even show that a majority of people aren’t ready to give up the steering wheel. But, autonomous cars are still being pushed on us anyway, with new vehicles including semi-autonomous features like automatic braking and adaptive cruise control built in without the user option to disable.

Then there’s Tesla who’s practically heading off the self-driving idea and allowing its customers to put their life and that of others in risk to help build awareness that the technology is safe. Still, there are lots of people who enjoy driving, and will do their best to not give up the wheel, myself included. So, what’s the best way to build trust in something new with the masses quickly and efficiently? Easy, force them to use the features (think emergency braking) then subliminally convince them to trust those systems via tacky and annoying commercials.

There are quite a few out there, but I’m just going to highlight two because they are perfect examples of what I’m talking about. Let’s dive in.

Let’s look at the reality of things for a minute. Top Gear hasn’t been the same since Clarkson’s altercation with that producer and his subsequent firing. While the show has tried to make a comeback, it’s been plagued with one problem after another. Ratings are horrible in comparison to the old show, it just doesn’t have the same flare that it used to have, and let’s not forget about Chris Evans acting like a whiny diva. Clarkson’s new show, The Grand Tour, is pretty good, but it’s apparently subject to a lot of legal scrutiny from BBC.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Top Gears old executive producer, Andy Wilman – now a producer for The Grand Tour – broke silence around some of the ridiculous legal threats BBC has been issuing against Clarkson, Hammond, and May. Naturally, BBC doesn’t want its intellectual property used in The Grand Tour, but this is a little ridiculous. For instance, BBC says that the show can’t have “handwritten lap times,” a news segment can’t be called “The News,” and the guys aren’t even allowed to call Namibia beautiful because it was said during an episode of Top Gear. The worst complaint from BBC really takes the cake, however, as apparently, James May can’t say the word “cock” because, well, he said it during an episode of Top Gear.

If BBC is complaining about these kinds of things, you can only imagine how long the list really is with complaints that haven’t be announced to the public. At the end of the day, Top Gear is pretty much falling apart now that the trio has taken off and started their new show with Amazon, and it’s likely that Top Gear will never get the same kind of following that it had. Despite the fact that Clarkson was in the wrong when he got into that physical altercation, he was the bread winner of the entire show, and the show is suffering because of this. BBC is clearly butthurt that the guys are doing their own thing now and is trying to do everything it can to make their life harder.

It seems more like a move you would expect from more overzealous manufacturers like Rolls-Royce or Bentley, who’s vehicles often serve as a status symbol for the greedy and overly wealthy. But as it turns out, even Lexus owners can have a little bit of status flare with the new parking spots at Edmonton’s International Airport. A total of 30 parking spots inside the parkade at EIA have been purchased by Lexus and are reserved for – you guessed it – those who drive Lexus vehicles. Does it sound crazy? Well, even if it does, it’s 100-percent true.

As it turns out, Lexus thought that its customers near EIA deserve special amenities and signed a contract for the short-term purchase of parking spots near pedways and elevators. For what it’s worth, the 30 parking spots are just a small percentage of the 2,200 spaces available inside the parkade and an even smaller chunk of the 13,000 available on EIA property, but some of the general public is already lashing out.

Twitter feeds have been blowing up over the new parking spots, with the general public claiming that these reserved parking spots are “elitist” and even reinforce the stereotypes about people who drive and market expensive cars. Be that as it may, Lexus of Edmonton said told the Global News that the purchase of these parking spots is “a way to offer a unique experience to Lexus owners in the city.”

Matt Miller – the General Manager of Lexus of Edmonton – said, “What we look to do is offer Lexus drivers a great ownership experience. So it is the amenities that we offer in the dealership and now finding ways to offer great amenities to them outside of the dealership as well.”

I know some of you are already about to jump on the complaint wagon and assume that parking spots for the handicapped have been used to create these spots, but EIA says that isn’t the case – claiming no handicapped parking stalls have been moved. The contract between Lexus and EIA is only valid until March of 2017, but there is an option to extend the contract should the dealership decide to do so. EIA also notes that it is open to contracts with other vehicle brands as well, should any other brand want to jump on board.

Is this the beginning of something new? If this idea takes off, what will it mean for those of us who don’t drive luxury vehicles? Keep reading to hear my thoughts. Come on – you know it will be entertaining.